This circa 1974 photo shows the coal tower that was constructed by Joe and Charles Schoen in the early 1900s.

Written by

Alan Morrell

Before it became an eclectic retail and dining destination, Schoen Place in Pittsford had an unsavory reputation, Audrey Johnson remembers.

The area was known then as Schoen's Alley, and originally was a lumberyard on the Erie Canal towpath. A railroad ran nearby.

"We were admonished by our parents to stay away," said Johnson, the Pittsford historian. "We weren't supposed to go there as kids. It became a dark alley. It was dark and gloomy. You didn't know what type of characters would jump off the canal boats or the train." ...